


The Courting of Anevka Strumvoraus

by Feneris



Series: Mechanisburg in the Sky [2]
Category: Girl Genius (Webcomic)
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe, Courtship, F/M, Floating Mechanisburg AU, Gen, Letters, Other, Plans Being Ruined, Strumhalten
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-01
Updated: 2019-08-01
Packaged: 2020-07-28 13:27:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20064766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Feneris/pseuds/Feneris
Summary: It was bad enough his son was living in sin with Barry’s wild-girl niece and Wulfenbach’s debauched libertine of a son. The last thing Aaronev Strumvoraus needed was Barry’s lackwit of a nephew to decide that he wanted to formally court his daughter, and that an airship fleet and enough long range weapons to turn his castle into a gravel pit were just the thing he needed to convince his beloved’s father that he was serious.





	The Courting of Anevka Strumvoraus

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place in the same universe where Barry comes back and instead of going into hiding, decides he’s going to float Mechanisburg and goes on and does just that. 
> 
> Honestly I had a lot of fun writing this and I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

_ Dear Father _

_ My deepest apologies for not replying sooner. Your last letter did not reach me as it was supposed to due to several unplanned changes of address. My original residence, to where you wrote me before, suffered spontaneous combustion due to mysterious circumstances which I am unfortunately unable to disclose on orders from the Master of Paris. I therefore took up new residence at Grandmother’s townhouse along the Seine. This unfortunately turned out to be a temporary measure as an unfortunate outbreak of the Dreaded Purple Mold has rendered her townhouse temporarily uninhabitable. (Something which I have no doubt you have heard of already.) This forced me to bounce between several apartments all of which became unfit for my continued habitation due to the activities of a local serial killer. Rest assured I am in no danger, the killer in question was apprehended thanks to the actions of a pair of nameless concerned citizens. I am currently a guest of Mr. Gilgamesh Wulfenbach and Miss. Agatha Heterodyne at 45 rue Galilee if you wish to reach me in the future. _

_ Sincerely, your son Tarvek Strumvoraus _

_ — _

Prince Aaronev Strumvoraus had no patience for disobedience. Nor any patience for people that pulled excuses when he ordered them to do things. Lucrezia had the right idea for sure. Total control was the only way to keep people from fucking things up with their own petty ideas of what they wanted, rather than what their betters knew was best for them.

What made it even more galling was that his own son didn’t seem to get that. Instead of coming home at once, like he was ordered to, he kept avoiding his father’s letters and kept providing excuses why he could not make it. A complete lockdown of Paris was no excuse. The boy was a spark, he could figure out a way. Nevermind the fact that he was apparently living in sin with Bill Heterodynes wild-girl of a daughter and Wulfenbach’s libertine layabout of a son. He should have never agreed to let him go to Paris. There were clearly too many corrupting influences in the city. `

Just to add sulfuric acid to it all, Klaus Barry Heterodyne had requested a meeting with him. He wouldn’t have even considered entertaining a meeting request from Barry’s lackwit of a nephew normally. The boy had his head buried in operas, theatrics, and music. No political ambition and a sense of theatrics where his common sense should have been. But he was also the heir to Mechanisburg, and if he wanted to keep up his act as a loyal ally of Barry Heterodyne’s pretend empire, he needed to play the part. Besides, maybe the lackwit could be useful in getting his idiot son home. In fact he should be arriving…

**BOOM!**

Aaronev was nearly thrown to the floor as the entire castle shook. What in The Blazes was that!?

He stormed over to the window and his heart caught in his throat at what he saw. The sky was filled with Heterodyne airships. It was only a small portion of Barry Heterodynes massive airfleet, but there shouldn’t even be one in his sky. What was going on!?

There was a loud hiss of steam and the thudding footfalls of something large and heavy stomping its way towards the castle. He pushed passed panicked servants and guards and very nearly ran into a jagermonster coming in through the front doors. 

‘Hoi, dere hyu are.” The jager said, unfurling a large scroll. “Vi iz here to annouze de Lord Klaus Barry Heterodyne.” The stomping was getting louder. “Shmot guy und creator uf de mosht terrible uf opera. Cower before him!” 

With the loudest thud yet a gigantic suit of bronze powered armor stomped through the doorway. The twisted horns of the top of the helmet nearly brushed the ceiling, and the flames the belched from the shoulder mounted exhaust ports did. 

“WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?” Aaronev yelled, his hand going instinctively to the deathray holstered at his back. 

**“I, Klaus Barry Heterodyne,” ** a voice boomed from within the suit. **“Am here to seek your formal permission to court your daughter Anevka Strumvoraus!”**

_ What? WHAT!? _“You’re serious?” Aaronev blurted out. 

The fanged face of the helmet opened with a hiss of steam. “I wouldn’t have two hundred megatons of ordinance pointed at Strumhalten if I wasn’t.” 

—

_ Dear Father _

_ I fear this letter may not reach you in the best of condition, or in fact reach you at all. Things have gotten rather hectic in Paris right now. I am no longer residing at 45 rue Galilee if you seek to reach me there. The building was rendered uninhabitable by **-burn mark-** ...the result of which caused quite a fuss in the neighbourhood, and resulting in a summoning to the Unseen library to investigate certain strange coincidences that might be connected to the aforementioned events. Whereupon we **-blood stain-** ...an actual working muse. She then **-scorch mark-** … the furious corpse ghost of Andronicous Valois who **-acid burn-** ...serious damage to the tower and **-more acid burn-** ...decreed that the city should be put on lockdown until which time the city was once again fit to receive visitors. Due to the lockdown, transportation in and out of Paris had been severely hampered. Both Mr. Wulfenbach and Miss. Heterodyne have offered to help me secure transport back home. We are currently making our way to one of the main fortess depots of the Coribettite Monks where Mrs. Heterodyne already has business concerning an item her grandfather donated to the order. Once we catch the train, it should be a smooth and uneventful ride home. _

_ I can be reached at **-coffee stain-** if you should need to get ahold of me. _

_ Sincerely, your son, Tarvek Strumvoraus. _

_ — _

Her father complained frequently that Heterodynes were a wrench in the clockwork of the best laid plans. Anekva disagreed. Kay right now was like an armour reinforced deathray being shoved straight through the gears so you could get a clear shot at the soft organic internal components. 

It was glorious. 

Prince Aaronev couldn’t make a single wrong move right now without Kay blasting the entire castle into a gravel quarry. Not that Kay realized anything was amiss. Which just made it all the better. 

Oh his uncle, or more likely Baron Wulfenbach, must suspect something or they wouldn’t have authorized him to deploy the airships or the long-range artillery. But the fact Mechanisburg itself wasn’t floating over their heads raining death and destruction down on the castle meant that they had no idea what was really going on. Which was good, because she was still in the castle. Not like Tarvek who was weaseling away his time, living in sin with Kay’s sister and best friend. 

Though from what Kay had told her, Heterodyne weddings had more in common with victory parades than anything, so maybe that would change once Agatha was back in Mechanicsburg. 

She placed the roses Kay had given her down on her lab table. They writhed and hissed as she lowered the glass fume bell and sealed it. Then she turned on the gas. The hissing rose to a shriek and they began thrashing their flower-heads against the glass to great effect. Anevka could see small cracks starting to form. 

Huh, looks like the herbicide just made them stronger. This was going to be fun. Kay was such a romantic.

—

_ Dear Father _

_ Apologies for not writing sooner. All your previous missives appear to have missed me. I regret to inform you that catching the train back home has proven more complicated than first anticipated. However, we have managed to spot some tracks and have picked up the trail. Mr. Wulfenbach estimates we can run it to ground in the northern foothills if we keep up the pursuit. While I hold some skepticism to that claim, I nonetheless hope it may prove true. _

_ I look forward to once again enjoying the comforts of home, as I am getting rather tired of dried hardtack and tinned snail meat. While Miss. Heterodyne has been able to provide hot water with which to wash, I fear that the smell of yak will never come out of my clothes and they will have to be burned. _

_ Give my regards to Anevka. What’s this you were saying about some lackwit trying to seduce her with heavy ordnance? _

_ Sincerely, your son, Tarvek Strumvoraus _

_ — _

Kay was taking her to the theater tonight. Since Balan’s Gap didn’t have a theater, that required some improvising. The owner of the warehouse was a bit perturbed to have it suddenly usurped, but it was only temporary and he had calmed down once he found out if was the Prince’s family that would be using it. The traveling Heterodyne show on the other hand, was a bit more reluctant to be shanghaied into some crazed spark’s vision of a theater production, but the large payment in advance had at least got them to stop whining. 

Honestly, Anevka thought as she curled up on her cushioned chair and popped a chocolate almond into her mouth, just watching him trying to get everything set up was a show in itself. People were rushing around trying to get sets put up, remember new lines, and get costumes together. Kay even had the troupe’s dancing clank, a remarkably well built model all things considered, doing its own solo dance routine. 

Yes, he may have been doing it to impress her. But, it was also clear that he honestly loved doing things like this. You could practically see the spark shining in his eyes as he directed people across the stage or scribbled out some bit of script to replace it with another.

She wasn’t the only one enjoying the show either. A fairly large number of townspeople had showed up to watch the spectacle, there were even a few of the geisterdamen lurking in the shadows. They had these awe-struck expressions on their faces, like God itself had just appeared before them in all its glory. 

Anevka’s eyes darted back towards Kay. He looked very striking with his blonde hair and immaculately tailored black coat. Carefully she compared the sight before her with the pictures she had seen of Lucrezia. 

Huh.

Looks like they were right about Kay taking his looks from his mother.

—

_ Dear Father _

_ My apologies for not writing sooner, mail is sporadic and slow here in this remote part of the world. Wireless coverage however, is excellent. At the very least we now have access to proper laundry facilities and food that does not come out a tin. Current attempts to catch the train have stalled, as none of the local boats have fore-mounted weapons or submersible capabilities. Therefore we have resolved to construct our own vessel. Acquiring enough bronze has proved problematic, so we have been forced to grow some more. This has slowed down our endeavours significantly and I fear I may not make it home before the early autumn at the least. While basic supplies are easily to acquire, some of the more specialized components are proving more elusive. Harpoons and depth charges however, can be found in abundance. _

_ Capt. Heterodyne sends her regards to you and her brother, and wishes him well in his endeavors. Tell Anevka I am happy for her, and that both Capt. Heterodyne and Capt. Wulfenbach assure me that Mr. Heterodyne is a devoted man of good character. _

_ Sincerely, your son, Captain Tarvek Strumvoraus. _

_—_

“Anevka, I’m getting the feeling that your father doesn’t like me.” 

“Hm?” Anevka looked up from the bits of viscera she was cleaning off her saw. “What makes you say that?”

“He’s always glaring at me during mealtimes and I get the distinct feeling he’s avoiding me.” He gave the rib-spreader another twist, and the beast’s rib cage expanded with a wet crunch. “I wanted to speak with him today, and I couldn’t find him anywhere. I understand if he’s still upset about me walking in on his meeting with Lord Blitzengaard, but no one I asked mentioned he was in a meeting.”

_ “Of course not. He’s not supposed to be meeting with Lord Blitzengaard,” _Anevka thought. “Father is just having trouble coming to terms with things.” She explained, as she took the new set of lungs out of the growth vat. “It's been a bit of a shock that his little girl is now old enough to have suitors. Plus what’s happening with my brother right now.”

“Ah yes, him living in sin with my sister and Gil.” He took a wrench out and began screwing the electrodes into the skull. “I keep forgetting people frown on that outside Mechanicsburg.” 

“Among other things,” Anevka agreed. “It's not just that of course. There’s the whole business with the Other, your mom dying, and your uncle turning his town into a gigantic floating fortress of doom. He’s having a hard time getting over that one.” 

“Why?” Kay began hooking up the electrical connectors. 

“Well, the Strumvoraus were originally part of a circle of knights dedicated to fighting your ancestors. No offence.”

“None taken. Uncle Barry was very insistent that our ancestors were not to be emulated.”

“Strumhalten itself was specifically built as part of a larger network of fortresses designed to keep your ancestors pinned in the Mechanisburg valley. Of course then your uncle went and floated the entire city right out the valley, so now all we guard the world against is a giant crater lake.” The organ vat digged. “It's been a hard transition.” 

“Understandable,” Kay agreed. “Double enriched?” He held up a canister of blood. 

“Naturally,” Anevka replied. “Don’t worry about my father. He’ll warm up to you as he gets to know you better. Try and get him to spend some time with you.”

Kay smiled. “Thanks, I’ll do that.”

Anevka smiled back.

That would show her father.

—

_ Dear Father _

_ We have finally succeeded in catching the train outside of the Oslo Crater. Unfortunately our vessel did not survive the journey so we have been forced to find other means of returning home. Polar Lord Ulv Ødegaard, and his army, was kind enough to offer his hospitality. An offer we simply could not refuse. You will be pleased to know I did our family name proud and remembered everything you taught me about diplomacy, etiquette, and concealed weapons. As we did not wish to impinge on his hospitality and overstay our welcome, we departed his fortress after only a night’s stay. Rest assured, we made sure to properly thank Lord Ødegaard for his generosity._

_ Rumours of massive fortunes being offered as bounties are vast exaggerations, I assure you. _

_ Regretfully we have unfinished business that needs to be taken care of, so I will be unable to return home by my previously estimated time of early autumn. I cannot name an exact date because I can not be sure when our business will be concluded. However, it will not be any earlier than mid-december, as the sky wurm is unable to survive at lower latitudes until winter comes. _

_ Sincerely, your son, Tarvek Strumvoraus _

_ — _

“What on earth is that?” Baron Selstiev asked, peering up into the sky and squinting in the sunlight. 

“The Glorious Levitating Solar Reflector,” Prince Aaronev growled. “A gesture of that lackwit Heterodyne boy’s affection for my daughter. Capable, he assures me, of liquifying ten meters of solid stone in just under five seconds.”

“Is this intended as a gesture of good will or a threat?” The Baron asked, casting a worried look at his fellow lord.

“The Lackwit failed to specify, as he does with so many things.” Aaronev replied acidly. “First, Bill’s daughter corrupts my son, and now Barry’s dunderhead of a nephew is threatening all our plans. He draws too much attention to our activities just by being in my castle. His Grand Magnetic Ferrous Gun confuses all the messenger squirrels, causing him to receive all my correspondence. The only saving grace is that he’s too much a lackwit to do anything with it beyond return it to me. He even wanders my castle with brazen impunity, blunding into everything he has no business blundering into. I don’t dare attend any meetings of the knights for fear that fool will somehow come bursting in claiming he was trying to find the water closet. It is a miracle he has not yet stumbled upon the hives…” 

“Surely the geisterdamen can ensure…”

“The geisterdamen are useless!” Aaronev nearly roared. “Whenever they see that lackwit they either stand around gawping like yokels who have just seen a steam calliope for the first time, or they are actively assisting him in whatever foolery he seems intent on! They have even let him into the chapel! If the boy wasn’t such a lackwit he might have realized the machine’s true purpose instead of falling for that story about it being an old project I was hanging onto.” He took a long shuddering breath. “I would throw that boy out of my castle if I wasn’t certain that he would come back with an army and attempt to steal my daughter by force. I cannot have him killed or disappeared, because then Barry Heterodyne would come down on my town like a load of bricks. And knowing that deranged madhouse he calls a city, they would also be dropping loads of bricks.”

Baron Selstiev cleared his throat. “Have you considered…” he cast a quick look around to ensure they were alone. “...the old trick where you invite him out hunting with you, and while you are out in the forest together he has an accident when a careless servant mistakes him for a pheasant? Not a fatal accident mind you, but maybe an unfortunate one that would force him to return home to recover.”

“Oh believe me, that very idea crossed my mind.” The Prince answered. “Did you know however, that it is unsporting for a Heterodyne to hunt small animals with anything smaller than a screamer gun and without a pack of Jagers at their side? And that friendly fire is part of what makes it fun?” 

“What about going over the boy’s head to his Uncle? Surely he would not be happy to learn that a portion of his airfleet is being used to aid his nephew’s romantic endeavors?”

“I did in fact write to Mechanisburg complaining of this outrage. I received a reply from Baron Wulfenbach himself, explaining that the airfleet and artillery were there to ensure his godson’s personal protection. With an added postscript to the effect that he only wished his own son could be that sensible.” 

“There is one other possible solution,” the Baron said after a long pause. “You could encourage your daughter to accept the Heterodyne boy’s suite, and do everything in your power to ensure the wedding happens as quickly as possible. Your daughter moves out, taking the boy with her, and you make sure to visit whenever he’s not going to be around.” 

The look that Prince Aaronev shot him spoke volumes. “And have that lackwit as my son-in-law until the day one of us dies?” 

—

_ Dear Father _

_ The river cruise has been marvelous. The Danube is really splendid this time of year. Just yesterday we were boarded by river pirates who seemed determined to get their hands on our jewelry and valuables. There were even some survivors left after we had dealt with them, which should provide us with many evenings of delightful entertainment. _

_ Kay sends his apologies. He was most certain that he had brought the idea of this trip up with you and that you had seemed agreeable to it. It is most unfortunate this misunderstanding happened, but you know how Kay can get sometimes. Rest assured he had only the best of intentions. He also apologizes for taking your mind-summoning machine. He was positive he had asked your permission to borrow it beforehand. Unfortunately he cannot return it to you until his new opera finishes touring. But, as you assured him it was only an old project you had not yet gotten around to dismantling, he hopes you will not mind its loss. _

_ While Kay believes we should not set a date for the wedding until he has had a chance to formally introduce me to his uncle, sister and godfather, we have nonetheless discussed some preliminary ideas as to what we might like to do. I find myself surprisingly agreeable to a traditional Heterodyne wedding, though both me and Kay agree that it will need some modifications to bring it in line with the modern age. But I get ahead of myself. As Kay says, there is little point in planning too far ahead before I have been properly introduced to his family. Since Mechanisburg will be near Odessa by the time we have finished our cruise, I figure it will simply be more expedient to travel with Kay directly from the ship to Mechanicsburg, rather than returning home first. Of course actually meeting his sister in person will depend more on such factors as wind speed, ambient temperature, and just how much the Polar Ice Lords are actually willing to pay in bounty. Thankfully Kay has assured me that Mechanisburg would be delighted to host me for however long it takes for his sister to arrive. _

_ Kay would also like me to assure you that he is still most earnestly serious in his pursuit of my hand, and that he will be leaving both the airfleet and the artillery batteries in place around Strumhalten as a sign of that commitment. (Along with the Glorious Levitating Solar Reflector naturally.) He has also mentioned sending an entire troop of Jagers to Balan’s Gap as further proof of his good faith. But wishes me to tell you not to worry about them, you won’t even notice they’re there. _

_ P.S. Lady Commander Hensika of the Geisterdamen sends her regards, and assures you that she will protect the Golden Son with her life. _

_ Sincerely, your daughter, Anevka Strumvoraus _

  
  
  



End file.
